SpaceX successfully launches CLASSIFIED military mission into space for US intelligence

SPACEX has taken another step towards dominating space after it successfully launched and landed a rocket carrying classified cargo for US intelligence.

The Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket carrying NROL-76, a classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), was launched into orbit at around 12.15pm BST (7.15am local time) from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The rocket's cargo was reportedly landed into low Earth orbit (LEO) which has an altitude of approximately 99 miles (160 kilometres) to 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometres).

The launch on Monday marks SpaceX’s fifth successful mission this year after a pre-launch failure led to a launch pad exploding moments test fire in 2016.

Following the launch, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted: “Launch and landing of the NRO spy satellite was good.